Heart of Noise

Like the Beatles? Especially White album era? You’ll love these guys. One of ‘em even looks like John Lennon. Nuf said really.

They also do a mean cover of Genesis’, How Does it Feel. 

Do you ever get when you go to a gig of a band that you really like, but there’s so much going on in your own head that it’s impossible to focus? Well sadly that happened with Local Natives, a band who I’m really fond of. I loved their album, Gorilla Manor, when it first came out around this time last year, and even though I feel like it has dated quite a lot since, I have a little soft spot for these west-coast crooners.

Downing a couple of cans of Red Stripe before we went in probably didn’t help either… but I’d just had some bad news and found it really difficult to be lulled away by their lilting harmonies and earnest energy. Just one of those things.

Having said that, they really did try. The band blasted energy into most of the songs from their albumand upped the tempo whenever they could.

I wasn’t that fussed on the HMV forum after seeing The Big Pink, but Local Natives had much more of a presence, coming to the front of the stage and giving the punters what they wanted. The atmosphere was fused with anticipation and the band fed off it, coming on for an encore with their arms around each other’s shoulders.

The audience seemed to love it. The friends I was with loved it. And just this once, I think it’s fair to take their opinion over mine.

O Emperor have been quietly making waves in Ireland, getting solidly positive reviews in everything from Hot Press, the daddy of Irish music zines, to the Irish Times. They’re now taking in the UK music scene before they release their first album, ‘Hither Thither’ – one which they’ve produced and recorded themselves.

The five-piece came across as a bit meek and mild when they took to the stage at the Windmill in Brixton, with none of the brazen banter they were having over a pint before the set began. But in no time, it was clear that this is a band who let the music do the talking.

Much has been made of the band’s vocal harmonies, but rather than the Beach Boys – the fallback reference made to anything with three or four-part harmonies – O Emperor lean more towards the folk-singing that Fleet Foxes and Mumford and Sons have helped catapult to the mainstream.

The singing is a lush backdrop to some great song-writing and the comfortable, laid-back pace reminded me of Grizzly Bear. At times, there’s also a nod to the American country-folk of The Band, with the lead guitarist even cracking out some slide guitar. It might been the sound balance on the night itself bringing these solos to the fore, but I could’ve done with a bit less of the country vibe; it’s the expansive musical texture and rugged, expressive singing that did it for me. (Apparently, the boys have all been friends since school and used to sing together in the school choir.)

A whole heap of musical influences and genres come together in O Emperor’s music and we’re taken on a journey with a couple of tunes, ending up where you least expect it. I’ve been soaking up all the tracks I can find online, including their single Po, and can safely say that there’s enough depth to handle my obsessively repetitive listening. It’s a mature, diverse offering, especially for a first album, but it’s one they can definitely live up to.